To Italy and back for under $800

by Annie Scott on

Every once in awhile I catch wind of a deal so good, I think I might just take advantage of it myself — this is one of those deals.

It seems like it costs $800 just to breathe lately, but you can actually get to Italy and back for well under that! The deal is from TourCrafters, and for just $696, you can get airfare from New York on Alitalia — including fuel surcharges — and four nights in a three-star hotel (“The Florence Special”). For $799, you can stay in the four-star Hotel Kraft.

Other super cheap TourCrafters specials to Italy include Rome from $709 and glorious Venice from $734. The packages are for trips between November and the end of March and don’t include taxes, but those prices are pretty fantastic. And they also include full buffet breakfasts. Know what else is fantastic? Italy.

The temperature in Italy is in the 60s (Fahrenheit) during those months, which means while you probably won’t be baking in the sun, you’ll have perfect weather for sight-seeing, museums, and eating copious amounts of pasta.

And that, my friends, is better than breathing. Reservations must be made by October 30: 1-800-482-5995.

Through the Gadling Lens: seeing the light

by Karen Walrond on

When you’re first starting out in photography, you’re likely to read, or hear, or have told to you:

“See the light. When you can see the light, you’ll be a great photographer. You just have to see the light.”

Many times, I’ve had new photographers retort with exasperation: “God, I hate that. ‘See the light.’ What light? There’s just light! I see it! What are they talking about? How do you ‘see the light’?”

In many ways, the exhortation to see the light is one of those things that, annoyingly, you’ll understand it when you finally see it. But basically, what you’re trying to do is not just acknowledge that the light exists, but really notice the quality of the light — is it golden? blue? white light? Is it coming in at an angle? Is it merely ambient light, or tightly focused? Are there shadows, or reflections? Once you’ve assessed the light, you can adjust your camera ISO, white balance, aperture and shutter speed accordingly, to capture the light and image as authentically as possible.

For tips and a refresher on how to adjust your camera’s settings, click here. However, for an illustration of the various types of light, and how to maximize what it does to your images, read on.
1. Light

First, let’s just take a look at light:

Sunsets are obviously very popular subjects, and for good reason — the light is very easy to identify, and it’s easy to see what the light is doing. What makes the shot shared by RuthannOC, above, such a great shot is not just that it captures the colour of the sunset — certainly the most striking aspect of most sunsets — but you can also see the rays of sunlight coming out from behind the cloud. The light here is very easy to see, and therefore make the resulting image a great capture.

This photograph, shared by Jon Rawlinson, is another great example of how being aware of the quality of the light and capturing it accordingly can result in a great shot. You’ll notice that this image was in the waning hours of the day, and judging from the cloud cover, I’m betting that there wasn’t much sunlight during the day. However, as the light got lower in the sky, the light was able to brilliantly illuminate the buildings, making them seemingly glow. In addition, the light is somewhat golden, which helps to establish the time of day.

The lesson to learn here is that even though you’re outside, the quality of the light can change throughout the day. Be very cognizant of what the light is doing, to maximize how you take your scenery shots.

This photograph shared by insEyedout is particularly spectacular, because he was mindful of how the quality of light changes and enhances the colours of the picture. Obviously, this photograph was shot at dusk — at just the time that lights are starting to illuminate the buildings. Incandescent lights tend to have a very yellowish hue (which is why, when shooting indoors, you might want to check your white balance to make the less yellow) — but in this case, the yellow light adds to the element of coziness in the feel of the image. Beautiful capture.

2. Shadow.

Obviously, different types of light can result in different types of shadows and silhouettes, which can also enhance your photos. The following are great examples illustrating how.

In this photograph shared by PDPhotography, the photograph is framed so that the window isn’t the only subject — the shadow it casts on the wall is included, too. This image was taken inside Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, and by framing the photograph this way, you can just imagine what it might have been like to be incarcerated inside, with the blue skies and freedom on the outside. The effect would not have been the same if PDPhotography had just shot the image through the bars — the shadow on the wall conveys the loneliness and the feeling of being convicted far more effectively.

One of the greatest things that shadows are able to do are convey the time of day. In this black and white photo, shared by Michael Joseph Goldst…etc, even though you can’t see the colour of the sunset, you can tell by the wonderful length of the shadows that this was taken late in the day. The photograph was clearly mindful of the light in this shot, since he made certain to capture the low sunlight in the top left hand portion of the image, as well as the length of the shadows to the lower right. Well done.


This spectacular image shared by t3mujin debunks one of the most common “rules” of photography: the one which says that you should always make sure that the light source is behind you, and you never shoot into the light. If t3mujin followed that rule, he would’ve never captured the wonderfully moody image you see above. Remember that when you have a person in your shot, you don’t always have to be able to make out their face or features — sometimes just having them in the shot in full silhouette conveys the ambiance of the shot in a way that shooting their faces full on might not be able to. This shot is one for printing and framing.

3. Reflections.

In addition to light and shadow, light can be captured by virtue of reflections, which can often result in a really compelling shot. The following three images are good examples. Just remember: turn off your flash.

The image shared by Buck Forester is sort of the classic reflection image — the wonderful mountain vista reflected in the water below. This image is actually a bit more difficult to capture than you might think: after all, when you’re in a beautiful setting, you’re often so captivated by the mountains and the treeline, you’ll likely forget to look into the water for the reflection.

The trick to these images is to be sure to look through the viewfinder carefully, and really see what you’re taking the shot of, so you can be sure to frame it to include the entire reflection. Also, this obviously works best when the water is exceedingly still.

This fantastic shot, < a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moody75/3387524541/">captured by Moody75 is such a great reminder that you don’t need to have a body of water to capture a great reflection — he was able to get a wonderful landscape of the entire city of Barcelona in his companion’s sunglasses. Talk about capturing the beauty of a city and the feel of a vacation all in one.

It’s nighttime, it’s raining — the temptation would likely be overwhelming to put your camera away. But this shot shared by mingthein shows why you might want to hang on to your camera a little longer. While you could never get the sharpness of the reflection that you can in Buck Forester’s daytime shot, above, wet streets at nighttime can make for a beautiful reflection of the lights on the street above. Again, remember to turn off your flash and steady your camera before taking a shot like this one.

So remember: see the light. If you have any examples of how you managed to see and capture the light, please share your links to your images, below. And as always, if you have any questions, you can always contact me directly at karenDOTwalrondATweblogsincDOTcom – and I’m happy to address them in upcoming Through the Gadling Lens posts.

Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at her site, Chookooloonks.
Through the Gadling Lens can be found every Thursday right here, at 11 a.m. To read more Through the Gadling Lens, click here.

Through the Gadling Lens: the latest, greatest shots from the Gadling Flickr pool

by Karen Walrond on

It’s been a little over three months since the last time we waded through all the amazing images shared in our Gadling Flickr pool, and it seems like it’s time to do so, again: after all, schools have closed (or are about to close) for the summer break all over the world, and prime vacation-photo-shooting season is upon us. So to help provide you a little inspiration before you head out for your summer holidays, I thought I’d go through eight of my favourite photographs from the Flickr pool and share with you what, in my opinion, makes them great. As with all art, of course, beauty is subjective; however, hopefully you’ll see something in the images shared here which will spark some creativity in you the next time you pull your camera out.

And so, on with the show:
1. Capture the ambiance the weather gives to the scene.

I love the image above, captured and shared by AlphaTangoBravo/Adam Baker, primarily because of the way he totally captured the mood of the scene as the two surfers venture out to capture their first (last?) waves of the day. The way he does this? Buy shooting into the sun, he draws your attention to how bright the day was, and the cloudless sky. In addition, he makes sure to crop the image so that the long shadows of each of the surfers, giving you some clue as to the time of the day that the image was shot. In addition, notice that there are no other people in the shot, other than the two friends in the shot — it gives the feeling that there are no other people in the world other than the two men. Fabulous capture.

2. If there’s something particularly stunning about the day, don’t forget to capture it.

In the same spirit as the first image in this post, this shot shared by insEyedout does a great job of featuring what was most stunning about his visit to The White House, in Washington D.C. — the amazing weather. The difference in this case, however, is instead of shooting into the sun (which, admittedly, can damage your sensor if you do it too often, so shoot into the sun sparingly), he uses the glow of the sunlight off of his companion’s shoulders to communicate the bright sky. And speaking of sky, look at that amazing blue! I also love how he doesn’t take your focus off of the sky, by shooting from behind his friends — had the women in the shot been facing us, you might not have noticed the sky, in favour of looking at their faces or smiles. Well done.

3. Look for patterns.

I love this photograph of the Painted Desert in Arizona, shared by Ash Crowe — and one glance makes it pretty apparent why, I think. Obviously, the coloured striations within the rock formations are pretty spectacular; however, how amazing is it that the pattern repeats itself in the cloud formations in the sky? One of the coolest things that you can do when taking any sort of landscape or scenery shots is to look for any sort of patterns within the frame of the shot — patterns always create interest. Really fantastic shot.

4. Don’t forget about flora and fauna.

While we’re still outside, just a reminder not to forget the flora and the fauna. Because, seriously, do I even need to explain why this image shared by fiznatty is so amazing? This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime type images, captured in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

A note about taking photographs of wildlife: obviously, the best way to make it happen is to gain trust — and many times, this means being very still, and being very patient. Also, be sure you don’t take risks: it’s not a great idea to touch wild animals, and remember — when cute babies like the above are around, mom and dad may not be far behind.

5. Do a bit of preparation for fabulous interior shots.

If you’re going somewhere with tons of architectural history, you’re likely going to want to take some interior shots, like the amazing one of the stained glass windows in Sainte Chappelle in Paris, shared by Amy Mengel, above. In my experience, shots like these are possible if you pay close attention to the light that is falling inside the building. In essence, this means:

  • Turn off your flash. Particularly when shooting inside a church or cathedral — your flash is going to wash out the vibrant colours of the glass.
  • You will likely have to up the ISO setting in your camera, unless you happen to have a tripod on you. Remember, if there’s low light, you’ll want a higher ISO setting; if the area is brightly lit, then you can get away with a lower setting (click here for a quick review on ISO). Play with your setting and take a few shots to find the best one.
  • If your camera has a white balance setting (sometimes indicated by “WB”), then adjust accordingly before you take the shot. In essence, this means evaluating what the main light source is in the room — incandescent light (which can make your resulting photograph yellow), florescent light (which can make your resulting photograph green) or natural light. Consult your camera manual beforehand to learn how to adjust white balance.

6. Don’t be afraid of movement.

I love this image shared by t3mujin of a typical tram in Lisbon, and it teaches a valuable lesson: not all out-of-focus images are bad. The blur of the vehicles in this photograph convey speed and movement, which help you to place yourself right there on the busy street corner. Also, I love the use of colour in this image — all of the colours in this shot are generally bland and neutral, save for the bright yellow pop from the paint colour on the front of the tram. Fantastic.

A tip on how to create a great blurry shot? Just shoot and shoot and shoot — keep clicking from the same and different vantage points over and over again. Mere statistics will tell you that you’ll end up with at least one shot that you’ll be pleased with.

7. Don’t forget to look up.

I absolutely adore this image shared by tysonwilliams.com of an intersection in Florence, Italy, particularly because it teaches a valuable lesson: don’t forget to look up! The beauty of this shot is that the negative space (the space between the buildings) communicates the narrowness of the streets and exactly how the streets flow without ever actually showing you the images. In addition, the tall buildings convey the feeling of being closed in amongst all the architecture. And finally, I love how the image is framed so that the intersection isn’t straight up-and-down, but instead, at an angle, providing visual interest. A beautiful shot.

8. Don’t be afraid to shoot at night.

And finally, don’t forget that cities can be absolutely stunning at night, as evidenced by this really beautiful shot shared by macdonaldj2wit of the Washington Monument. The easiest way to take an amazing shot like this is as follows:

  • Look for a location with lots of points of light, to create visual interest — traffic lights, car lights, whatever.
  • Set your camera on automatic or program mode.
  • Set your ISO as low as possible, and the affix your camera to a tripod or rest it on a very level surface.
  • Turn on your camera’s self-timer.
  • Focus the shot, and press the shutter, and then step away from the camera.

By setting the timer, the camera will have time to settle from any movement caused by your clicking the shutter release. The camera will likely keep the shutter open for quite a while in this low light, so it’s absolutely imperative that the camera keep absolutely still. Once you hear the shutter close again, take a look — picture perfect night shot.

So, how was that for a few stunning images? If you’ve got a few great images you’d like to share (or tips that you think might be valuable), please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. And as always, if you have any questions, you can always contact me directly at karenDOTwalrondATweblogsincDOTcom – and I’m happy to address them in upcoming Through the Gadling Lens posts.

Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at her site, Chookooloonks.
Through the Gadling Lens can be found every Thursday right here, at 11 a.m. To read more Through the Gadling Lens, click here.

Amazing Race 12 Recap 7, finally

by Jamie Rhein on

With Survivor: China taking the place of Amazing Race December 16, it threw off our coverage. It’s a who’s on first type of story, partly complicated by my Kentucky trip to a funeral and Christmas. Here’s my recap of what happened in episode 7. My apologies for not getting this out there sooner, but I’m following the adage, better late than never.

It also seems like the Amazing Race folks are having a time getting their Web site in order. I looked and looked, but only found one photo from this episode posted. Instead, I’m going to point you towards web clips of the various incidents, and a smattering of other visuals. The web clips are on the Amazing Race Web site under “Videos.” To get to this page, click on Videos, then web clips, then Episode 7.

If I were on the Amazing Race, this leg of this dash around the world would have given me the feeling of hitting pay dirt. Considering how much the teams ooohed and ahhed over the beauty of Croatia in episode 6, anything else could have been a real let down–not so Italy.

Florence, Rome and Bologna were part of the itinerary depending on the route the teams took to Empoli, the site of the Road Block. Oh, how I love Italy, and Florence is my favorite. Sure, it’s a tourist hot spot, but there’s a reason. I’ve been there three times, and each time was superb. Do not miss the statue of David. I repeat. Do not miss the statue of David

Getting to Empoli was filled with some interesting–and surprising turns of events. Teams that haven’t had much trouble in the past experienced a truth about travel. If you’re on the road long enough, one day can be downright lousy–and you might find yourself doing things you never thought possible. The beginning of the episode was fairly smooth sailing, literally, for most teams–although, I have to say, these early morning departures would do me in. Ron and Christiana departed Dubrovnik, Croatia by bus at 2 a.m. for Split to catch the ferry for Ancona, Italy to in route to Florence.

Since Don and Nick managed to catch up with the other teams for this journey across the Adriatic Sea, and they didn’t leave the Pit Stop until 7:06, I’m wondering about the advantage of leaving so darned early like Ron and Christiana did. I realize that the idea is to get a head start before everyone else, but doesn’ t it seem that when teams leave so early it doesn’t do much good most of the time?

Not taking a chance, though, is probably the best strategy since teams don’t know what to expect at each juncture. This holds true for most travel. Whenever I leave late, I tend to get lost or can’t find a place to stay. When I leave earlier, the traffic is lighter and there’s the notion that I can stop somewhere for a sit down lunch. However, check out the video “A Perfect Day in Split”. There’s something to be said for a more leisurely pace. While TK and Rachel and Nate and Jen waited for their ferry departure, they spent time swimming in the Adriatic. This footage of Nate and Jen frolicking about shows just how those awful road fights can end up behind you.

For an extra look at the ferry ride and some authentic travel experience, check out “Ron’s Makeshift Bed”. You have to hand it to Christina. She has a knack for not letting her dad get so totally on her nerves. Ron’s talk about wanting to sleep on the hard floor deck as opposed to being with the other passengers inside on comfy cushions (Christina’s desire) makes total sense. It may seem like he’s a nut, but he knows what he’s talking about in a way. I loved when he mentioned the soothing vibration. He’s one determined guy when it comes to wanting to be right. From the map, you can see ferries from Croatia to Italy take many routes. Click map for options.

This section brought back my own memories of leaving Skopelos, Greece on a 9 p.m. ferry (or thereabouts) in order to catch a 2. a.m. train (or thereabouts) for Athens in order catch another train for the coast where the ferry to Brindisi, Italy was docked. When we took the ferry to Greece, we hung out with other folks inside, but on the way back, we stayed on the deck, tucked out of the traffic. I was too tired to interact and be in a crowd.

The ferry ride was the lull before the real push once they arrive in Italy. Then it was a race through the parking lot to locate their cars for the drive through this region of Tuscany to Empoli. Now, the real fun for the viewers began. Considering the drive was in the dark, that must have been hell for anyone with a night vision problem. Rachel’s description of what it’s like to be in a car at 4:30 in the morning after the choice to swim instead of sleep in “A Long Night of Driving” was another I’ve been there experience. It’s the dilemma of wanting to see as much as possible and hoping your body will cooperate. Not so much in her case. She’s struggling to stay awake and presents some staying awake tips. Slap your face is one of them. There should be a prize for this couple at being the best at getting along no matter what. I’d like to see where they are in 25 years.

This was also the point in Amazing Race 12 for the teams’ families to be brought in via Blackberries. Nick and Don’s family member’s messages in “Nick and Don’s Family” give a terrific look at why Grandpa is the way he is and why these two don’t get ruffled all that much. Here’s one quote.”that sweet, shy, senile grandpa of yours.” Hah!

Here’s the scoop about driving to Empoli. If you go straight to Florence you’ll get there first (Nate & Jen) because going through Bologna is a longer route and you might end up in a traffic jam (Ron & Christina, Kynt & Vyxsin and Nick & Don), and if you go through Rome, you might have such a great time eating lunch in Ancona that you forget the clue and have to go back to get it. (TK & Rachel)

In Empoli, one team member had to search for the word Vinci while soaring above Tuscany in an ultralight. Now, that would be sweet indeed. Some enjoyed the view, while others became frustrated at not seeing what they needed. Ron was back to putting Christina down. Because TK couldn’t find Vinci until having to refuel the ultralight and trying again, they fell behind to last place.

Don and Nick skipped the ultralight and took the Fast Forward that led to a task that certainly tests ones desire to win a million dollars. I’m not sure what I would have done. The duo ended up in a tattoo parlor getting FF tattooed on their arm. FF=Fast Forward. I may have asked if the tattoo artist could have prettied it up with a butterfly or something. I also wonder if Amazing Race would foot the bill to have it taken off at the end of the game.

Just think about what this would be like for the rest of your life explaining that the FF does not stand for french fries, or whatever else people might imagine. Here’s some tips in case you decide to get your own tattoo in Italy. The Fast Forward meant they could skip the town of Vinci and head to the Pit Stop at Boboli Gardens in Florence. I would be bummed out in a way to not have the chance to go to Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. Here teams chose between two tasks. One was to learn a flag routine at the Piazza Guido Masi.

The other was to build a crane based on Leonardo da Vinci’s design in order to lift a boulder to read the clue on the bottom. With crane building not being their forte, Vyxsin and Kynt decided to drive to the flag routine option which lead to getting lost and an emotional meltdown. As Vyxsin sped them along, Kynt threatened to jump out of the car and drive instead. Oh, yes, I know that scene. I have lived it in some form or another. Particularly when Kynt had trouble getting the car to shift after he took over and Vyxsin sniped at him. Who hasn’t said, “Just shut up for once today,” like Kynt did. The moral of this story is, stay where you are and do what’s in front of you. When driving through towns you don’t know, getting lost is always an option.

TK and Rachel also had their share of car troubles when a flat tire put them behind once more. They are too nice for such turmoil. But, their flat tire didn’t stop them from ending up in Florence in 4th place with Vyxsin and Kynt close behind. Grandpa Don and Nate’s tattoos earned them a five-night trip for two to Cancun where I expect they will recount their tattoo story.

Since this was a non-elimination episode, stay tuned for this Sunday when we find out what Vyxsin and Kynt have to do for their Speed Bump to stay in the race. Even though Vyxsin and Kynt did have a squabble, in the clip “Vyxsin’s Bad Day” they demonstrate that people can recover from a meltdown and all can be well again.

This photo of a tattoo taken in Florence, Italy says it all. In essense: “Everything happens for a reason.”

The Red Garter: A Classic Expat Pick-Up Joint

by Kelly Amabile on

My aunt lived abroad in Florence for many years in the 70’s and 80’s. Although she worked as a nurse for much of her time overseas, she had her fair share of odd jobs too, especially in the early years of her expat experience. Recently she told me about her days working reception at a pensione run by the horrific “La Signora” and another job at a leather shop. And then there was that stint checking coats at The Red Garter. She and an Aussie friend had vowed they would never work at this popular expat hangout swarming with Italian men looking for foreign women. But my aunt did wind up in the coat room there for awhile. She met lots of Italian men, including one that she introduced to her Aussie friend, who wound up marrying the guy. So much for steering clear of The Red Garter!

Literally days after I heard this story, I came upon this post about the best pick up joints around the world. Lo and behold, the very first one mentioned: The Red Garter. It’s the only actual establishment mentioned in the piece — the rest of the pick-up places mentioned are special festivals or cities where the pickin’ is apparently not so slim. So it got me thinking about other joints like The Red Garter (which has been around since the early 1960’s) that have a long-standing tradition of fostering love connections which rise above language barriers — What other classic expat hot spots have been around long enough to be considered institutions of international romance?

(Photo credit: Special_K at Flickr)